In the premises of the Department of Technical Botany and Microscopy of the Faculty of Technology, University of Zagreb, Kršnjavoga 25, the Laboratory for Microbiology was established in 1956 within the Food Department of the Faculty of Technology. Following the relocation of the Laboratory for Microbiology to the new building at Pierottijeva Street 6, the Laboratory for Biology with Technical Microscopy was founded in 1960/61 as part of the Department of Microbiology. The Head of the Laboratory was Professor Anto Jurilj, PhD, who remained in that position until 1979. The scientific activity of the Laboratory was related to the field of phylogeny and systematics of diatom algae, as well as the microbiology of cereals.

At the same time, in the Laboratory for Industrial Microbiology, under the leadership of Dr. Marija Alačević, a new research area began to develop in Croatia: the genetics of industrial microorganisms.

In 1979, Professor Marija Alačević, PhD, became the Head of the Laboratory for Biology. Under the name Laboratory for Biology and Genetics of Microorganisms, it operates today within the Department of Biochemical Engineering of the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology.

During this period, the scientific research work of the Laboratory encompassed research in microbial and molecular genetics. Special emphasis was placed on the improvement of industrial microorganisms using classical genetic methods and recombinant DNA techniques, as well as on the study of molecular mechanisms of mutagenesis and DNA repair. The Laboratory also conducts testing of the genotoxicity of environmental agents. The Laboratory has developed cooperation with the food and pharmaceutical industries, as well as with many research institutes both domestically and abroad.

Following the retirement of Professor Marija Alačević, PhD, in 1994, the Head of the Laboratory became Professor Jasna Franekić Čolić, PhD. From 2011 to 2013 and from 2015 to 2021, this position was held by Professor Ivan-Krešimir Svetec, PhD, and from 2013 to 2014 by Associate Professor Lidija Šver, PhD.